Detroit Red Wings' Damien Brunner looks up at the scoreboard after Chicago Blackhawks' Marcus Kruger scored during the third period of Game 1. / Associated Press

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Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Damien Brunner spent this morning eager to prove he’s the most clued-in guy — with clues about what’s going on, clues about what he owes, like half the team, and clues about when to speak to Jimmy Howard.

Brunner showed up at Joe Louis Arena ready to help the Detroit Red Wings take on the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the second-round series, undaunted by being a bit poorer.

He had bet several of his Swedish teammates on the outcome of Sunday’s World Championship gold-medal game between his native Switzerland and Sweden, had joked in the hours leading up to the game about all the money he was looking forward to collecting.

Alas for him, Sweden ended up winning, 5-1.

“That’s going to cost me,” Brunner said, smiling. “A lot of dollars and dinners.” Asked if he lost more in dinners or dollars, Brunner laughed and said, “both.”

The Swiss were underdogs going into the game, their recent surge as a hockey nation pales in comparison to Sweden’s long-standing history as a hockey superpower. That said, it was 2-1 after 40 minutes, and “the whole country is really proud,” Brunner said. “It’s the first time ever thousands of people were waiting at the airport when the team gets home. It’s exciting. They played a hell of a tournament.”

Brunner also had a little fun after reading Howard’s comments in Monday’s Free Press saying Brunner “doesn’t have a clue” about what’s going, that he doesn’t get what’s at stake as the Wings go deeper into the playoffs.

“I do have a clue,” Brunner said, smiling. “That’s my whole point. It was terrible. The first part maybe is OK, but then second part, with I don’t know what the stakes are, that’s terrible.”

Possibly something was lost in translation, as it’s commonplace for teammates to good-naturedly rib one another. Brunner has gotten the treatment all season; Daniel Cleary said back in March that Brunner “doesn’t have a clue. He just comes around, his hair is always in a mess, and he’s smiling every day. I like it.”

Brunner did prove he’s got one big clue: A public relations executive said Brunner had told him that while Howard had made the comments, Brunner said he wasn’t going to yell at the team’s starting goaltender during the playoffs.

Contact Helene St. James: 313-222-2295 or hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.